Door closer and mounting means therefor



Dec. 3, 1968 R. w. WALDO DOOR CLOSER AND MOUNTING MEANS THEREFOR Filed July 10, 1967 Ma gi INVENTOR. RUSSELL W MLDO BY M02191; ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,413,679 DOOR CLOSER AND MOUNTING MEANS THEREFOR Russell W. Waldo, 863 Ottawa Ave., St. Paul, Minn. 55107 Filed July 10, 1967, Ser. No. 652,118

7 Claims. (CI. 16-52) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A hydraulic door closer including a cylinder and a piston equipped reciprocatory piston rod having means for pivotally mounting the rod to a door frame, the piston having a valve adjustable responsive to relative rotary movement between the cylinder and the piston rod. A mounting bracket adapted to be secured to a door has a releasable connection with the cylinder for holding the cylinder against rotation on its axis and permits easy removal of the cylinder from the bracket.

Summary of the invention The present invention is in the nature of an improvement over the structure disclosed in US. Patent N0. 3,249,961, issued to Bert A. Quinn and assigned to the assignees of this application. In Patent 3,249,961, a bracket is provided which mounts a cylinder to a door for rotation on its own axis relative to a cooperating piston rod connected at its outer end to a door frame for swinging movement on an axis transversely of the piston rod and cylinder axis.

In the present invention, a mounting bracket is provided which cooperates with an axial support element on the cylinder to normally hold the cylinder against rotation on its axis relative to the piston rod. Means on the bracket and support element releasably hold the support element in the bracket whereby the support element may be quickly and easily removed from the bracket, so that the cylinder may be rotated relative to the piston rod to adjust a valve in the cylinder; after which the support element may be as quickly and easily remounted in the bracket, all without the use of tools.

To the above end, the bracket is formed to provide a pair of side walls having opposed channels therein for reception of a pair of opposed bosses or like projections on the support element. The channels each have an open end and a closed end and extend generally transversely of the axis of the cylinder and in directions wherein the basses are yieldingly urged toward the closed inner ends of the channels by a spring in the cylinder urging the piston rod in one direction axially of the cylinder. Boss engaging detent means in the channels prevent accidental removal of the support element from the bracket, and engagement of opposed faces on the support element with adjacent side walls of the bracket elfectively prevents rotation of the cylinder on its axis relative to the piston rod.

Description of the drawings In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, and in which like reference characters indicate like parts:

FIG. 1 is a view in horizontal section of a door and door frame, showing the door closer of this invention mounted thereon;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view in top plan corresponding to a portion of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged axial section taken substantially on the line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a transverse section taken substantially on the line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a view corresponding to FIG. 4, but showing a different position of some of the parts;

FIG. 6 is a transverse section taken on the line 6-6 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a view in perspective of the mounting bracket of this invention; and

FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken substantially on the line 8-8 of FIG. 7.

Detailed description The door closer involved in this invention is particularly adapted for storm and screen doors, and is shown as being mounted at one end to a convention door frame 1 and at its other end to a door 2 hingedly mounted in the door frame 1 by one or more hinges 3, one of which is shown in FIG. 1. The door closer comprises an elongated cylinder 4, a piston element 5 loosely axially movable in the cylinder 4, and a piston rod 6 extending axially through one end 7 of the cylinder 4 and connected at its inner end to the piston element 5. The end 7 of the cylinder 4 is preferably provided with conventional sealing means, not shown, for preventing leakage of hydraulic fluid, not shown, but with which the cylinder 4 is substantially filled. The outer end of the piston rod 6 is pivotally secured to a bracket 8, as indicated at 9, for swinging movements on an axis extending transversely of the piston rod 6 and parallel to the axis of the hinge or hinges 3, the bracket 8 being rigidly secured to the door lrame 1 by nails or screws 10. The opposite end of the cylinder 4 is closed by a support element 11 having a circumferentially grooved head 12 that is inserted into said opposite end of the cylinder 4 and into the circumferential groove of which the end of the cylinder 4 is spun or peened, as indicated at 13. A sealing washer or the like 14 effectively prevents leakage of hydraulic fluid from the adjacent end of the cylinder 4. A coil compression spring 15 encompasses the piston rod 6 within the cylinder 4, and is interposed between the piston element 5 and the opposite end 7 of the cylinder 4 to yieldingly urge the piston 5 and piston rod 6 toward the end of the cylinder 4 closed by the support element 11. One end of the spring 15 engages a tooth or rib 16 on the piston element 5 and tends to prevent rotation of the piston element 5 relative to the cylinder 4.

The piston element 5 is formed to provide an axial opening 17 therethrough for reception of the adjacent inner end of the piston rod 6, see FIG. '3. The opening 17 is screw threaded for a portion of its length inwardly from the outer end portion 18 of the piston element 5 to screw threadedly receive a threaded portion 19 0f the piston rod 6, the threaded portion 19 having an outer diameter somewhat greater than that of the piston rod 6. Further, the piston element 5 is formed to provide a pair of diametrically opposed channels 20, the bottoms of which taper inwardly from the outer end portion 18 to the diameter of the opening 17. The axial opening 17, with its channels 20 cooperate with the piston rod 6 to define a pasage 21 for hydraulic fluid from one end of the piston element 5 to the other thereof, the passage 21 being adjustably opened and closed by axial movement of the piston 6 relative to the piston element 5, this axial movement being accomplished by rotating the piston element 5 relative to the piston rod 6. An annular member or flange 22 is peened or otherwise rigidly secured to the piston element 5 and cooperates therewith to define an annular channel 23 for loose reception of a valve acting O-ring 24. As shown in FIG. 6, the flange 22 is formed with a pair of opposed flat sides which permit flexing of the O-ring 24 in one direction. The arrangement is such that, when the piston element 5 moves from the left to the right with respect to PEG. 3, under opening movements of the door 2 and against bias of the spring 15, the cylinder engaging O-ring moves into engagement with the flange 22 and permits hydraulic fluid through the bottom of the channel 23 and between the O-ring 24 and flat sides 25 of the flange 22 toward the closed end of the cylinder 4. During closing movements of the door, imparted thereto by the spring 15, the O-ring 24 moves into engagement with the piston element 5, substantially shuting off flow of fluid between the piston 5 and inner wall surface of the cylinder 4, During this movement, fluid flows through the annular passage 21, the rate of flow being determined by the screw threaded adjustment between the piston element 5 and the theraded end 19 of the piston rod 6.

The cylinder 4 is releasably secured adjacent its closed end to the door 2 by means of the support element 11 and a bracket 26 screwed or otherwise rigidly secured to the door 2, as shown in FIG. 1. The bracket 26 is formed from relatively heavy sheet metal to cross-sectionally U- shape to provide a door-engaging flat bottom 27 and a pair of laterally spaced parallel flat side walls 28 having a small degree degree of resilience. The support element 11 includes a cross-sectionally polygonal, preferably square shank 29 that extends axially outwardly from the adjacent end of the cylinder 4 and which is received between the side walls 28 of the mounting bracket 26, the shank 29 defining opposed flat sides or surfaces 30 that engage adjacent ones of the side walls 28 to hold the support member 11 and cylinder 4 against rotary movement on the axis of the cylinder 4 and piston rod 6.

Adjacent its outer end, the shank 29 of the support element 11 is formed to provide a plurality of generally hemispherical projections or bosses 31, one each projecting laterally outwardly from a diflerent flat side 30. The flat side walls 28 of the mounting bracket 26 are formed to provide opposed laterally inwardly opening channels 32 for reception of opposed ones of the bosses 31, the longitudinal dimensions of the channels 32 extending generally transversely of the axis of the cylinder 4 and support element 11. The channels 32 have closed inner ends 33 and open outer end portions 34, the portion of each channel 32 adjacent the outer end 34 thereof being angularly displaced from the portion of each channel 32 adjacent the closed inner end 33 thereof, see particularly FIGS. 1, 2 and 7. The channels 32 adjacent the closed I inner ends 33 thereof extend in a direction oblique to the axis of the cylinder 4, the direction being such that yielding bias of the spring 15 within the cylinder 4 urges the bosses 31 toward the closed inner ends 33 of the channels 32, when the door closer is operatively connected to a door and door frame. The portions of the channels 32 adjacent the outer ends 34 thereof extend in a direction angularly displaced from that of the channels adjacent their inner ends, this direction being such that, when the bosses 31 are disposed in the channels 32 adjacent the outer ends 34 thereof, yielding action of the spring 15 urges the shank 29 in a direction longitudinally outwardly of the channels 32. Thus, when it is desired to adjust the eflective size of the passage 21, it is necessary to manually move the bosses outwardly of the channels 32, initial outward movement being had against bias of the spring 15. With the arrangement shown, it is possible to adjust the effective size of the passage 21 in small increments achieved by a one-quarter turn of the cylinder 4 relative to the piston rod 6.

For the purpose of preventing accidental removal of the support element shank 29 from the bracket 26, the channels 32 are formed to provide a pair of dimples or detents 35 beyond which the bosses 31 are moved when received into the closed end portions 33 of the channels 32. When the shank 29 is mounted in the bracket 26, opposite ones of the bosses 31 snap into place in the inner ends 33 or' the channels 32, the side walls 28 of the bracket 26 being sufliciently resilient to enable the bosses 31 to be forcibly moved beyond the detents 35. To assist the side walls 28 in holding the shank 23 and cylinder 4 against rotation on the axis of the cylinder 4, a headed pin 36 extends through a pair of aligned openings in the side walls 28. a coil compression spring 37 mounted on the pin 36 laterally outwardly of one of the side walls 28 yieldingly urging the side walls 28 toward each other, see particularly FIGS. 7 and 8.

From the above, it can be readily seen that the cylinder 4 may be quickly and easily disengaged from the mounting bracket 26 when it is desired to adjust the rate of closing movement of the door, and as quickly and easily replaced when adjustment has been made. This invention has been thoroughly tested and found to be completely satisfactory for the accomplishment of the objectives thereof, and, while I have shown and described a commercial embodiment of my closer and mounting means therefor, it will be understood that the same is capable of modification without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A door closer comprising an elongated cylinder having a closed end and an opposite end defining an axial opening, a piston rod extending axially slidably through said opening and having inner and outer ends, piston means mounted on the inner end of said piston rod within the cylinder for rotary movements relative to the piston rod, means on the outer end of the piston rod for mounting the same to a door frame for pivotal movements only on an axis transversely of the piston rod and generally parallel to the axis of swinging movement of a door mounted in the door frame, yielding means biasing said piston and piston rod in an axial direction toward said closed end of the cylinder, said piston and rod defining a restricted passage for flow of fluid through said piston responsive to yielding means imparted movement of said piston and rod, a support element rigid with said cylinder and extending axially outwardly from the closed end of said cylinder and having a pair of opposed flat side portions, and a bracket element adapted to be secured to the door, said bracket element having a pair of opposed flat side walls straddling said support element and engaging the flat side portions of said support element to hold said cylinder against rotation on its axis, one of said elements defining a pair of opposed channels extending generally transversely of the axis of said support element and each having an open outer end and an opposite closed inner end, the other of said elements including a pair of :opposed bosses for movements longitudinally in said channels, portion of said channels adjacent their closed inner ends extending in a direction whereby said bosses are urged toward said inner ends of said channels by said yielding means.

2. The door closer defined in claim 1 in which said bracket element defines said channel, said bosses projecting laterally outwardly from said flat side portions or' said support elements.

3. The door closer defined in claim 2 in which said channels have outer portions adjacent said open outer ends angularly displaced from said portions adjacent the inner ends thereof, and extending in a direction whereby, when said bosses are disposed in said outer portions, said bosses are urged toward said outer ends of the channels by said yielding means.

4. The door closer defined in claim 2 in which said support element is cross sectionally rectangular, whereby to provide a second pair of opposed flat side portions normal to said first mentioned side portions, characterized by a second pair of bosses projecting one each from a different one of said second side portions.

5. The door closer defined in claim 4 in which said channels are cross sectionally generally U-shaped, said bosses being hemispherical in form.

6. The door closer defined in claim 1 in which said bracket element side walls are resilient, characterized by a pair of detent elements in said channels between said bosses and the outer ends of said channels, said detents engaging said bosses to restrict movement of said bosses away from the closed inner ends of the channels.

7. The door closer defined in claim 6 characterized by yielding means urging said side walls toward engagement with their adjacent side faces of said support elements.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner.

JAMES L. KOHNEN, Assistant Examiner. 

